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• University of Wisconsin vs. St. John’s University • 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 8 • Tickets go on sale later this month; prices have not been set

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Sanford Health will pay the University of Wisconsin $260,000 to play a men’s basketball game at its new Pentagon this fall, and an executive with the nonprofit health care firm said the investment will pay off in national exposure for its medical programs.

Sanford also is paying Wisconsin’s basketball opponent, St. John’s University, but the private school does not disclose details of such agreements. Sanford Sports Complex General Manager Eric Larsen said St. John’s is receiving an amount “way less” than the Wisconsin guarantee because the Badgers are giving up a home game and the lucrative revenue it would generate.

The Wisconsin contract, obtained by the Argus Leader, also gives the university 40 free seats near the team’s bench and the opportunity to buy 400 more tickets at face value. The school will pay for its own travel and hotel arrangements.

The Nov. 8 college basketball game will be one of two marquee events to mark the opening of the $19 million Pentagon. The NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves will play the Milwaukee Bucks in an exhibition game there Oct. 10. Both games will be televised nationally, and Larsen said that will bring broad exposure to Sanford health programs from orthopedics and sports medicine to breast cancer research.

“It’s not a money maker,” he said. “This is something we want to break even on and bring a showcase event to Sioux Falls.”

Larsen said the bulk of the money paid to the teams will come directly from ticket sales.

The Pentagon, in northwest Sioux Falls, will house a series of basketball courts as well as Sanford’s sports training and sports medicine programs. Its focal point, the Heritage Court, will seat 3,250. The city’s NBA Development League team, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, will play there.

It is the centerpiece of the Sanford Sports Complex, which also features youth football fields and a field house with a 65,000-square-foot artificial turf football field. Indoor tennis and hockey facilities also are being built, and a hotel and restaurant should open there in coming weeks.

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Major colleges rarely give up a home basketball game. Wisconsin associate athletic director Justin Doherty said the Badgers usually play in a neutral-site tourney around Thanksgiving, but moving a regular season home game is unusual.

That’s because major-conference schools make big money from basketball games. Wisconsin brought in 16,482 fans per home date last season with ticket prices at $22 to $30 per seat. On the low end, that’s more than $370,000 a game in ticket sales, and that doesn’t account for concessions, parking, program and other game-day sales.

Larsen said other schools wanted twice as much as Wisconsin to play in Sioux Falls.

“I don’t think Sioux Falls has seen a game of this level before, ever,” Larsen said. “It means a heck of a lot to fans of basketball.”

There also are costs associated with putting on a home game, Doherty said.

“This is a figure we felt was appropriate — what we would net in a typical home game,” he said.

Still, it took personal connections to secure the game. Sanford Health CEO Kelby Krabbenhoft is a close friend of head coach Bo Ryan, and Krabbenhoft’s son Joe played for Wisconsin and later worked on the coaching staff.

Wisconsin officials had heard good things about the Pentagon, Doherty said. “You combine that with a good opponent, and it’s a good opportunity,” he said.

South Dakota’s Division I universities routinely get paid to go on the road to play upper-tier college programs. For example, South Dakota State University gets about $75,000 from the University of Minnesota for its annual game at Williams Arena.

Hospitals use broad marketing strategies to advance their goals. Some analysts, such as former hospital CEO Mike Myers, have questioned spending that is not directly related to patient care. Myers, who is running for South Dakota governor as an independent candidate, was CEO of Mayo-St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester, Minn., and most recently taught health care and elder care law at the University of South Dakota.

He said health care organizations today have a broad description of health that extends to fitness and sporting facilities in addition to patient care.

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Events at the Pentagon will increase exposure for South Dakota’s collegiate sports teams as well.

The USD’s women’s basketball team will play Nov. 21 at the Pentagon. The Coyotes planned the off-site game because of a scheduling conflict at it their home facility.

USD Athletic Director David Herbster said the Pentagon is a great option because Sioux Falls is home to their largest alumni base.

In addition, he said college coaches always are looking to give students a different experience. St. John’s players probably never would be in South Dakota if not for this game, he said.

Tickets for the Wisconsin-St. John’s game won’t go on sale until the end of this month; prices have not been set. Larsen said the price range will be similar to that of the Timberwolves game. Those tickets start at $66. About 500 seats are left for that NBA exhibition game, but Larsen said he’s confident it will sell out.

Meanwhile, Sanford is looking ahead to next year and is bidding on other NCAA games. Larsen said the goal is to bring a couple of marquee events to Sioux Falls each year.

The Pentagon hosted a basketball clinic this week and will feature a high school volleyball tournament Sept. 28.